My Kitchen Garden

My dad is an amazing gardener and as green-fingered as one person could and up to last year, I was very lucky to have him showing me the ropes of a good kitchen garden. He left Ireland in 2010 and my great kitchen garden laid bare until now. I was so used to my dad doing all the work and me just helping out at weekends but coming with my little basket and pick my vegetables straight from the ground - I missed that so much last year that I decided that I will give it a go. And lucky me - a wonderful man is helping me with it. Since I am quite lazy at heart, I asked Terence to build some raised bed and we started with 4 (more to come of course). So far we have set our potatoes (not in a raised bed tho - but 4 rows already), beetroot (have to give you a great recipe for beetroot chutney - yum), onions (white and red), peas, cauliflower, salad and cabbage. My courgettes are coming on nicely in the greenhouse as well as the pumpkins. We have different types of tomatoes as well as leeks..... more to come as the months progress. I am so excited about getting my kitchen garden back - watch this space for updates.

If you want to start your own kitchen garden - make sure you tune in Monday's at 8:30 on RTE1 where Kitty Scully is transforming a plot at Fota House into a kitchen garden. You can follow her blog here . Her garden will be completely focused on food - her partner in crime on the other hand will create a family garden with only a small bit of fruit and veg. Kitty is working with several experts who help her choosing the right varieties. Yesterday, she worked with Jim McNamara from Co Limerick V.E.C.s Organic College in Dromcollogher and planted some interesting types of potatoes in a lazy bed (didn't look that lazy to me). Kitty also explained the importance of crop rotating - therefore it's a good idea to have a layout plan of your garden so that you know what you planted where for next year's planning. You can watch some the videos on their website.

A Foodie Friday

Today was just a lovely day, weather was great, I met lovely people and have lots to write about.

First of all I went to the new venture of On the Pig's Back by Isabelle Sheridan in Douglas and it was a treat. When I heard she opened her new cafe at the premises of Patrick's Woollen Mills I was a bit surprised as it is very industrial with garages and wooden flooring places around. But when I arrived I was still surprised but it was a pleasant one. High ceilings, whitewashed walls with art works hanging (which you can purchase by the way), tall timber shelving packed to the brim with yummy goodies with a great focus on French and local produce (they had even Irish music in the background). Light timber flooring and handmade wooden large tables and chairs invite you to sit down with friends and family for a delicious lunch.

The menu is short but varied. Soup of the day was carrot with basil which was oozing with freshness. Silky texture and a perfect consistency (€5.50), Quiche & Salad (€6.50) doesn't really say much but they had 5 different quiches on offer (Dianne ordered the spinach & pine nut) and the salad served with the quiche was almost bigger than the plate. I ordered Tartine which is a toasted slice of rye bread topped with melted cheese and tomatoes which was served with a lovely pesto and red onion jam. The leaf salad was organic and fresh. We then shared a slice of rhubarb pie which was just lovely and not sour at all but thanks God not too sweet either.

The place was buzzing, so my concerns about the location was completely unfounded. Isabelle has a great business head on her shoulders and I wish her great success.

Dianne and myself then headed back towards city centre as Colman Andrew launched his latest book 'The Country Cooking of Ireland' in the Farmgate restaurant. Colman is an American with a love for Irish Food. The book is quite extensive, the photographs are amazing (by Christopher Hirsheimer) and very well researched. I love especially the chapter of Irish Wine with a photograph of a pint of Guinness next to it. He talked about how it came that he wrote about Irish food and how interesting he finds it. He is a great advertiser in the States for Irish Food (not that many people seem to believe him).

While listening to Colman and enjoying the canapes of mushroom frittata, we also met a lovely girl Evin who is from California but moved to Ireland 2 years ago. A fellow food blogger, we had of course a lot to talk about. Have a look at her blog . I bet you will love the photographs as much as the recipes. I invited Evin to join us for our next wine tasting on Portuguese wine next Saturday. Hope she can make it.

So, I think that was enough excitement for one day - sitting now in front of a blazing fire, got some crackers with goat's cheese and O'Flynns mixed berry jam and a glass of Sherry and let my brain roar wild with some buzzing ideas for events. Watch this space

Irish Bog Awards

The judging for the Irish Blog Awards is well on its way with the ceremony taking place in Galway on 27th March 2010. The awards has several categories - the most interesting of course being the Food Blog Award. This year a lot of blogs have been nominated - with Bibliocook, Bubble Brothers, Grapes of Sloth and Beer Nut being my favourite. Below is the list of this years nominees:

• The Good Mood Food Blog
• Cheap Eats
• The Daily Spud
• I Can Has Cook?
• Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (tables) | Well Done Fillet
• Therese Brady
• Ice Cream Ireland
• foodyblog
• Robert Francis Wine
• The Look and Taste Show
• Curious Wines
• Val’s Kitchen
• Chilli and Chocolate
• Italian Foodies
• Ballymaloe Cookery School
• Blake Creedon’s Wine Cork
• The Grapes of Sloth
• English Mum
• Dispatches from the Deise: Lemon Meringue Pie
• Bubble Brothers
• Michael Kelly
• Ummera
• Bibliocook
• Tea and Wheaten Bread
• The Beer Nut
• The Green Apron
• Lola-Lu’s Kitchen
• O’Briens Wine, Beer & Spirits Blog
• Not Junk Food
• Lily’s Blog
• Well Done Fillet

Other categories include pop culture, fashion & beauty, music, photo, technology and lots more. You can attend the award event in Galway - ticket price is €15.

Congratulations to all nominees - may the best blog win...

Cool Blog

....here is the proof.....bloggers can become chefs.....as easy as easy peasy. The Good Mood Blog is run by Donal Skehan (who looks about 15 years old) and he has publish the Good Mood Food Book (are there anymore variations of 'ood'???) and has received great reviews. I should really start writing recipes down...if I remembered them afterwards :-(

Anyhow, the blog is really cool. He has a little cousin who helps him along and the whole blog has a great feel to it. According to the times were are in - he has posted some mince pies recipes which look yummy enough....that reminds me that I have to do some serious baking myself these days. I normally bring a tin of pies down to Anita's mum.

Anyhow, have a look at the blog - if you haven't done so already. Photos and recipes make this a blog to re-visit over and over.

Cool Blogs

... I am a boring old bore...reading the same blogs all the time (Bubble Brothers, Alinea at home and Irish Wine Contemplations and a few others) I thought it is time to widen my horizon.... And guess what, there are a lot of food & wine blogs out there. So in the mood of making this blog more interesting (I started with the series 'Behind the Scenes' already) I will be writing about cool blogs on the web (cool in my definition). This is not meant as 'reviewing' the blogs or even slating them - just to share with you the finds.

The first blog I like to introduce to you is called 'Not Without Salt'. Written by a former pastry chef (and I do love pastry chefs) it is listed on the 50 best foodie blogs at Times Online which I assume is an achievement in itself (as I am NOT on it.....how did this happen?).

The photographs alone are worth a visit as they are simply great. Recipes are focused on pastry & baking (one of my favourite subjects) and some are even supplied with videos as the puff pastry video proofs. Brilliant step-by-step instructions are included and if you have never made puff pastry yourself but want to give it a try - this video will help you big time (it is still a great amount of work).

The woman behind the blog is Ashley E. Rodriguez, an American pastry chef. She worked with the likes of Sherry Yard which in itself if quite an achievement. Anyhow, Ashely is married with kids and lives in the Northwest of the US (I assume near Seattle as this is were she is from) and put her business on hold to look after her 2 kids. Good for us as she started her blog and says about herself:

'For me food is so much more than following a recipe in order to reach a desired product. As much as I enjoy that tasty product and the process in which it was created, my personal infatuation with food focuses on the aspects that go beyond satisfying a bodily hunger. I am completely and utterly obsessed with food because of its effect on the people who consume it, grow it, produce it, enjoy it, and live for it. Food is culture, it nourishes our bodies, it is passion, it is hard work, and for many it is their livelihood.

My hope is that this blog will teach you techniques and recipes, encourage you to try new things, and inspire you to think beyond what it is that you are creating.'

Have fun browsing through the recipes.....I might try the Raspberry, Honey and Black Tea Sorbet when I get a minute.

Curious Wine Blog

Linda (our new club member) passed a newsletter on to me the other day from Curious Wines as they are having an open wine tasting (yesterday's post) and of course I browsed through their website and their blog. The blog is managed by Matt Kane. His postings are fun to read and the information given is clear enough to be understood even by me :-). His posts 'Wine for Dummies' is great fun and stuffed with helpful advise. Have a browse around.

The shop itself is run by Michael and Matt Kane. Their website is clean and simple to read and everything is easy to find. Delivery is free but you have to order 12 bottles to get it delivered. The shop is located in Bandon (Unit 26, Bypass Business Park, The Bypass, Bandon, Tel. 023 43898)

I haven't been in touch with them yet, but I will attend the wine tasting in May (and of course, write about it). So watch this space.

Carol has moved

For all of you out there who follow my blog (and I know it must be in the thousands by now) I have sad sad news. Carol cooks Keller has come to an end (already in October - ups) as she has finished cooking her way to the cookbook of the French Laundery. Her blog is still open, so you still have the chance of following Carol through her amazing journey. I followed it for a few months last year and she always made me smile (oaky I was laughing out loud most of the times). Her dedication was simply inspiring.

The good news......she started a new blog. It is called Alinea and is based on a restaurant she has eating in.....and guess what, she is cooking her way through that one. Follow her through this new adventure, I promise you, you will see cooking from a different perspective :-)

I haven't heard from Alinea yet...but I will have a browse through the book.

Irish Foodie Blog

While browsing through the web the other day for some Irish Food Blogs, I came across Gastronom.ie which is published by Damien Mulley. This blog publishes other blog postings from across Ireland and is quite rounded up (it has to be as he also publishes my posts :-)

Here you can find postings from Lar (Sour Grapes), Julian (Bubble Brothers)..etc. so have a browse through it (saves you a lot of googling)....Damien also has a few other blogs you might find interesting.

The picture is a scetch of him.....(never met the guy so can't say if it is accurate)...

Tast.ie Blog

I love browsing through other peoples blogs. Simply to see what they are up to and to learn new things. Some of the recipes out there are amazing (just go onto Hannah's Country Kitchen and search for the Chocolate Brownies with Rolos - yum). Anyway, I came across this blog, called Spicendipity, the other day as Deborah, who runs it, left a message on my blog. And of course I had to sneak around a bit. Deborah is selling homemade sauces and spice mixes through her blog. She is located in Tullamore but she is offering mail order service. She is publishing recipes as well as organising food related events. She is coming to Cork next weekend for the Taste of Cork and will go to Cafe Paradiso....(of course she is ;-). Deborah seems to be very active and that leaves me with lots of ideas for Cork. Have a look through her blog and enjoy the site and recipes.

Another project cook

Martin from Berlin Kitchen pointed me to another project cook (check last post). Carol cooks Keller is a project where Carol attempts to cook every recipe in the French Laundry cookbook. And she seems to be very serious as she even cooked tripe the other day......and I am not alone with my opinion that tripe is the most revolting thing ever. But I heard that dogs really like it. Anyway, Carol doesn't post any recipes from the book but her style of writing is fun. Her description of the smell of tripe made me laugh out loud this morning. Thanks Martin for the link.

I might have to attempt a project now myself.....since I have a couple of cookbooks (actually have to count them - not sure if I have reached hundred yet). Anyway, any suggestions of cookbook I might should try to cook every recipe from??????

And don't forget, the final of the Champions League is on tonight. Kick-off is at 7:45 with coverage starting from 7pm on RTE2. And of course you all will cheer for Manchester United. With the 2 strongest teams in the Premier League.....it will hopefully be a great game. I haven't decided on the wine tonight yet.....but it will be a special one....

The Gourmet Project

As a regular visitor to this blog (and I know there are many out there ;-) you will have noticed that I have joined the Food Blog Roll. This roll is a collection of food blogs across the planet. And while browsing through some of the blogs I came across 'The Gourmet Project'. Run by a girl called Teena, it is completely dedicated to one cookbook called 'The Gourmet Cookbook' published by Ruth Reichl (editor of the Gourmet magazine). Teena has the ambition to cook every single recipe in this cookbook. Fairplay to her. I think the eggless Aioli was not a big success but I will have a browse through the blog again to see how the other recipes were doing. At the moment she is on page 889 (not sure if she is going start to finish). Check it out

Browned Flour

As with every morning, I am browsing through the cool blogs on the web and as always I am reading Chocolate and Zucchini and again, I am not dissapoointed. This blog is a source of inspiration and knowledge. This time she baked sables with browned (roasted) flour....okay, the sables don't look anything like I ever seen as sables but the concept sounds nice. I might give it a try at the weekend. Did anyone ever try baking with roasted flour??? Let me know if you have any recipes and how you liked it.

Wine Tasting Evening in Dublin

My good wine friend Julian from Bubble Brothers sent me a link for Sour Grapes Blog who are organising a wine tasting in Fallon & Byrne in Dublin. Check out http://www.sourgrapes.ie/2008/03/25/inaugural-open-wine-tasting-evening-april-15th/#comment-287 for more details.

I will check with Sour Grapes after the event so see how it went. Might be a good idea for us as well to have different venues. Let me know what you think about it.

New Blog

While browsing through the Bubble Blog I came across this blog http://siopaeile.com/blog/. It is a shopping blog run by Paul O'Mahony. I love the graphics of the website...and of course the map where you can find farmers, food producers etc who sell directly to the customer (by the way Siopa Eile means 'other shop'). I could spend ages at this blog...have a look yourself and let Paul know what you think....or even add to the map if you know a farmer or an artisan food producer who will be willing to sell to customers directly. Happy blogging ...

New Blog

I am a big fan of Martha Stewart (check out her cookie of the day) and while browsing through her website this morning (didn't like the sound of peanut butter no bake cookies)I stumbled across a new blog on Martha's website, called Dinner Tonight (http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/dinnertonight)...since it is an American site...some of the ingredients might be hard to find...but isn't half the fun to improvise ;-). The recipes are posted from food editors rather than 'normal' foodies and most recipes can be cooked within an hour. So far, only a few recipes are online but that might be due to the fact that it only started in January 2008. You can also sign up for a daily recipe via email....happy cooking